Interior vehicle security partitions are widely used by law enforcement for up-fitting cruisers. Some partitions include a frame and provide a barrier in the upper portion constructed out of mesh wire, thin impact-resistant plastic sheet, or other tamper-proof material which does not impede the rear vision of the driver. The typical single-sheet acrylic or polycarbonate sheets may consist of two overlapping sheets that slide laterally within a track. Additional lateral and lower panels are typically provided around the frame to prevent intrusion by the hands and feet from the rear seat compartment.
An exemplary conventional vehicle security partition is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,382 Assigned to Pro-Gard Industries, L.P., Indianapolis Ind. which illustrates a partition including a guard panel attached to a tubular steel frame which is mounted between the vehicle B-pillars. The panel within the perimeter of the frame can be made from thin, rigid sheet of cold rolled steel which is spot welded to the frame including a void portion to allow observation without compromising security. The upper portion of the frame houses a single transparent impact resistant sheet of polycarbonate or acrylic (PMMA) thermoplastic material. The window is illustratively supported within the front panel by conventional fasteners, such as bolts. Alternatively, the window may comprise any number of widely available stamped metal sheets and wire screens having a mesh size so as to limit finger access to the front occupant area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,666 to Dillon, assigned to Automotive Prototypes & Equipment, Ann Arbor, Mich. discloses a mounting system for a vehicle partition including a body, a pair of legs mounted on either side of the body disposed over a corresponding lateral frame member of the vehicle and an adjustment screw disposed in each leg for raising the shield body from the lateral frame member toward the roof of the vehicle. The partition window is described as either a solid sheet of transparent polycarbonate of sufficient thickness to prevent damage from the rear seat or a wire mesh with holes small enough to prevent finger access. Neither of these constructions contemplates ballistics nor detachable components for portability.
Personal ballistic armor shields are known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,495 to Sankar illustrates a total body protective device including a pair of fabric panels made of bullet-proof material, handles on an upper of the panel pieces for holding the device, and a window through the top panel piece for observing an assailant, and means to roll up or fold the device when not in use. This device is not designed to be self-supporting.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,719 issued to Madden, Jr. discloses a bullet-resistant partition for attaching to a vehicle which includes a flexible curtain secured to a door of the vehicle. The flexible curtain is secured to a frame below a window in the door. The curtain is bullet resistant. The curtain may be easily installed and removed from the door. The curtain is made of layers of fibrous material, such as woven cloth, preferably of an aramid fiber, such as a KEVLAR® cloth, or “SPECTRA SHIELD®” material. A bullet-resistant upper flap of the same material as the curtain pivots on the curtain. The entire apparatus can be removed for transferring to another vehicle, but is not designed for rapid engagement/disengagement.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,882 discloses a vehicle interior partition that is divided into at least two partial units that abut one another in a transverse direction of the vehicle. One partial unit of the partition is immovably mounted behind a driver's side of the front area. At least one additional partial unit is movable between two end positions, with the end positions opening or closing a passageway area between the front area and the rear area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,311 discloses a bullet resistant apparatus for the sides of a vehicle and bullet resistant partition apparatus for use behind the front seat of a vehicle. Both types of apparatus utilize transparent panels and flexible curtain elements, each secured to the vehicle, with the flexible curtain element extending below the transparent panels. The apparatus may be readily installed from one vehicle to the next.
Patrol officers are often the first to arrive on the scene involving hostile acts or threats and potential gunfire. An officer may then call for back-up, and this may include a request to bring in a well-equipped strategic weapons and tactical team (SWAT). Equipment issued to these teams and stored in large vans includes armor shields, usually mounted on wheels and suitable for advancing on a perpetrator and/or rescue victims from the line of fire of the perpetrator. The first officer arriving in a patrol car however may only have a ballistic vest. SWAT-issue armor will not fit within the limited trunk space of the patrol car, or will interfere with other stowed equipment. Many of the rigid ballistic shields in use today are too heavy, bulky and expensive to issue to the thousands of patrol officers who are likely to be first on the scene. Moreover in many traffic stop incidents, officers can instantly come under direct fire at close proximities when suspects are about to be apprehended. Despite the cost and bulky size of SWAT-type ballistic shields in use today there is an urgent need for practical and economic advancement to protect personnel such as law enforcement who are often the first to arrive at hostile situations involving guns.
An unmet need therefore exists for a portable ballistic shield that can be quickly deployed from a law enforcement vehicle and that takes up a minimum of space when stowed in the vehicle. A portable ballistic shield that is available immediately by disengagement from the vehicle, and of light-weight construction would provide a solution to this unmet need.